English media and club Aston Villa reported Thursday that former head coach of the Portland Timbers’ North American Soccer League franchise, Vic Crowe, pasted away at the age of 76. Crowe, who also played and coached for Aston Villa prior to coaching the Timbers, died on Wednesday following a long-time illness.
Crowe, a former member of the Welsh National Team who played in the 1958 World Cup, coached the Timbers in their first two seasons in the NASL in 1975 and 1976, and again from the middle of the 1980 season, taking over for Peter Warner, through 1982. He assembled a 66-61 record during his time in Portland and took the club to the playoffs in two of his five seasons as coach.
Perhaps the highlight of Crowe’s tenure in Portland was in 1975, when he guided to club to the ’75 Soccer Bowl (the NASL’s championship game) in San Jose against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. To reach the finals, the Timbers defeated the Seattle Sounders and St. Louis Stars in the postseason at Civic Stadium, now known as PGE Park, before crowds of 30,000 plus.
Born Jan. 31, 1932, Crowe ranked among the more successful coaches in the NASL, finishing his coaching career with a .548 winning percentage and a total NASL record of 80-66 – he coached the Atlanta Chiefs in 1969.
Learn more about the Timbers’ NASL franchise.